essay on an invention of your choosing

In class, we critiqued the creation myth of a lone inventor creating a stable artifact that is automatically dispersed in the world. For example, while Alexander Graham Bell is commonly viewed as the inventor of the telephone you learned in class that the telephone story is much more complicated. To this day there are debates over who should receive credit for the telephone’s invention. When we look historically, we also see that there are debates over what constitutes a telephone and that the invention Bell proposed in his patent bears little similarity to the telephone of today.

 

For this assignment, you will research and write a 2-3 page essay on an invention of your choosing. Your essay should open the “black box” of the invention story to reveal some of the messy, complex, and contextualized social dynamics within. You are not allowed to write about the telephone.

 

After you select your invention, the following questions may be useful as you compose your essay:

· Who was involved in inventing the technology (one person or more)?

· In what social or organizational context was the technology invented? If the person created their invention while working for a university or company context, what kind of work were they doing and how might this have contributed to the invention process?

· How did the inventor(s) have access the resources necessary to bring the technology to the market?

· Were there competing claims to the invention by other people or companies?

· What contributions to the invention's success (or discovery) have since been made invisible?

· Did the technology succeed? Immediately or over time? What challenges did the inventor face in bringing the technology to market (technical challenges, market challenges, economic challenges, legal challenges)?

· How did the inventor convince others of the invention’s value? How did the inventor convince others that the device constituted his or her idea?

· How did the finished product differ from the original idea?

You are not required to answer all of these questions. Instead, you may choose to focus on one question or a subset of these questions. You may also develop your own approach to challenging the creation myth. 

 

Successful essays will:

· Go beyond better-known creation myths to tell a more complex story.

· Use at least 2 reputable sources (i.e., academic, popular press, or government). You may not use Hollywood movies as sources. You may use documentary films with advance permission.

· Use a recognizable citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) correctly (including in-text citations).

· Develop a well-structured and clear argument.

 

Protip: 

· Many popular inventions or companies have books on their creation. Look to see if there is a book on your favorite tech company or a technology that you find interesting. 

· You do not need to write about computer technology. 

· You can write about an invention, a scientific discovery, the creation of a company, or a new technological accomplishment. If you have another idea, be sure to ask a member of the teaching staff for pre-approval.